The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is another great historical feature of Indianapolis. It was founded by Carl Fisher in 1906, and the first Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was held in 1911. It survived economic hard times and the transfer of ownership to Anton Hulman Jr. in 1945 to receive extensive rennovations and become what is now referred to as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It hosts the Indycar Indianapolis 500 every year in May as well as the NASCAR Brickyard 400 in August. The track has also been used for Formula 1 and motorcycle racing.
The IMS offers tours of its grounds multiple times per year. In 2009, to celebrate its Centennial Era, it is offering 68 tours. Knowledgeable Hall of Fame Museum staff members serve as hosts for the Grounds Tours, providing customers with a narrated historical journey through the decades at the "Racing Capital of the World" along with visits to notable IMS landmarks normally open only to officials, drivers and teams during events. Grounds Tour guests will visit the timing-and-scoring suite in the Pagoda, the Media Center, Victory Podium, Gasoline Alley garage area and the world-famous "Yard of Bricks" at the start/finish line. Guests also will tour the Hall of Fame Museum and enjoy a ride around the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval in one of the Museum's comfortable tour buses, culminating with an opportunity to stop at the "Yard of Bricks" and pose for photographs.
Obtain several different race car die cuts
For younger students (pre k), stick to primary colors
For older students, use as many colors as they can identify
Construct a simple "Garage" from a shoe box, making sure the door opens into the box (I made a slit in the top of the door, like a mail chute)
Pass out various colored cars to children
Words:
RED, RED is the car I see
If you have a RED car, please show it to me (children with red cars can hold them up)
Stand up, turn around (this is an example of 2 part directions, designed to burn some energy)
Put your car in the garage (children come forward and place die cut in garage)
Then sit back down. (Children return to seats)
Continue activity, changing car color as needed.
I did this activity with a group of 30 preschoolers, so I stuck to 5 cars each of 6 basic colors so every child had 1 car.
Students could also be given an entire set (5 or 6 cars each) and asked to pick the appropriate one when the color is called.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
4790 W. 16th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grounds Tour
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is another great historical feature of Indianapolis. It was founded by Carl Fisher in 1906, and the first Indianapolis 500 Mile Race was held in 1911. It survived economic hard times and the transfer of ownership to Anton Hulman Jr. in 1945 to receive extensive rennovations and become what is now referred to as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It hosts the Indycar Indianapolis 500 every year in May as well as the NASCAR Brickyard 400 in August. The track has also been used for Formula 1 and motorcycle racing.
The IMS offers tours of its grounds multiple times per year. In 2009, to celebrate its Centennial Era, it is offering 68 tours. Knowledgeable Hall of Fame Museum staff members serve as hosts for the Grounds Tours, providing customers with a narrated historical journey through the decades at the "Racing Capital of the World" along with visits to notable IMS landmarks normally open only to officials, drivers and teams during events. Grounds Tour guests will visit the timing-and-scoring suite in the Pagoda, the Media Center, Victory Podium, Gasoline Alley garage area and the world-famous "Yard of Bricks" at the start/finish line. Guests also will tour the Hall of Fame Museum and enjoy a ride around the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval in one of the Museum's comfortable tour buses, culminating with an opportunity to stop at the "Yard of Bricks" and pose for photographs.
Website Links
Tour Dates & Ticket Information
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Home Page
Literacy Links
The Indy 500 by Mark Stewart
The Indy 500: The Inside Track by Nancy Roe Pimm
Nascar by James Buckley
The Brickyard 400 by A.R. Shaefer
Brickyard 400 by Eric Ethan
Renault Formula 1 Motor Racing Book by Hugo Wilson
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: 100 Years of Racing by Ralph Kramer and Mario Andretti
Additional Resources:
A map of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Spirit of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Classroom Activity
Obtain several different race car die cuts
For younger students (pre k), stick to primary colors
For older students, use as many colors as they can identify
Construct a simple "Garage" from a shoe box, making sure the door opens into the box (I made a slit in the top of the door, like a mail chute)
Pass out various colored cars to children
Words:
RED, RED is the car I see
If you have a RED car, please show it to me (children with red cars can hold them up)
Stand up, turn around (this is an example of 2 part directions, designed to burn some energy)
Put your car in the garage (children come forward and place die cut in garage)
Then sit back down. (Children return to seats)
Continue activity, changing car color as needed.
I did this activity with a group of 30 preschoolers, so I stuck to 5 cars each of 6 basic colors so every child had 1 car.
Students could also be given an entire set (5 or 6 cars each) and asked to pick the appropriate one when the color is called.